Initiative
by Kairi 'Shadow Sage' Taylor
Summary: Hinata has always loved Naruto, but could nver find a way to properly express how she felt to him. One particular morning, an innocent dare changes things. And yes, Jiraiya is to blame...


Initiative (Or, I Finally Write A Damn Naruto Story

Initiative (Or, I Finally Write A Damn Naruto Story.)

By Kairi Taylor

It was roughly about 3:30 in the afternoon when Uzumaki Naruto finally roused himself from sleep. The sunlight shining in his room was a rather welcome addition to the scene that the young genin woke to. He looked down toward his body to see his companion, Hyuga Hinata, lying with an arm draped across his bare chest, her head resting just over his heart, seemingly asleep.

It should be mentioned that both of them are very much naked, save for the bed sheet that covered their bodies. And if you have to ask why they are naked, this story isn't for you. Go ask your parents or some other responsible adult why a man & a woman are naked in bed together. Believe me; you're in for a world of surprises.

It was at this point Naruto found himself blushing immensely now, considering what had transpired the previous 5 hours, two of which were spent asleep. In the morning, it had started out innocently enough. He had arrived in Tsunade's office, found Hinata there & started an nice casual conversation with the Hyuga heir. Then there was the sake, the dare and…things had definitely escalated from that point forward. Hinata had transformed from shy kunoichi who he suspected may have had a crush on him to hot pale eyed girlfriend who just made passionate love to him for 3 hours straight. This was something that Jiraiya always wrote about in those weird books of his. (Naruto made a mental note to never tell Jiraiya of this moment, even under pain of death.) Naruto slowly put one arm on one of her shoulders & sighed, his thoughts slowly becoming coherent.

_Ok Naruto, what the heck just happened? Let's review. Woke up, went to eat some ramen, got told by Kakashi-sensei to submit our mission report, that's what happened before I got to granny's office. I went in there & met up with Hinata, not to mention looked at the devastation Tsunade left there. Yeah, the ero-sannin must have pissed her off. Then I dared Hinata to drink that sake she left behind and before I knew it, she gives me a French kiss, uses her Byakugen to stun me, drags me to my home rips my clothes off & does things to me I'd never dare ask Sakura to do. So I guess I just rationally recalled what could be the greatest 3 hours I will ever know. I wonder though, if that sake had something to do with it…_

Unknown to Naruto, while he laid there collecting his thoughts on just how lucky he was, Hinata had already awoken. She faintly looked up at her lover, noting that she could literally feel his heart thumping hard against his chest. She smiled slightly, noting the awed expression on his face. It was rather alien to her the knowledge that she was capable of doing what she did to him, but there were still many other thoughts that filled her head

_I still don't understand what came over me…I always wanted to tell Naruto-kun just how much I loved him. But I have no idea what came over me. The minute I drank that sake, I was so overwhelmed. I just wanted him to myself, right then and there. Well, actually, I always wanted him, but I never really thought I'd actually be so bold as to do the things I did. And what we just did here…well, that's something I saved for my private fantasies. I wonder if the sake had something to do with it…_

As a matter of fact, it was the sake.

It was early in the morning that the insanity started. The office where Tsunade, current Hokage for Konohakure currently conducted business was unusually quiet . While normally, Tsunade would be at her desk grumbling at the pile of paperwork she had been presented with, as of late it had been quite different. The apparent death of Orochimaru meant that Otogakure was in a state of turmoil within itself, with many of its inhabitants seeking freedom within the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. As a result, with the combined efforts of shinobi from Konohakure and Sunagakure, incidents involving anyone from the Land of Sound were quickly resolved. Also, the workload that Tsunade usually received had yet to arrive. This situation was very favorable to Jiraiya.

The Toad Hermit quietly crept into Tsunade's office, taking note of his surroundings. The table across from where the Hokage's desk was located had the item he was looking for: a small bottle of sake. Tsunade had a habit of drinking on the job (among her many faults) and she always kept a small bottle nearby 'for guests' as she would be quick to point out. Jiraiya wandered to the table, pulling out from his robes a small pouch. Picking up the bottle of sake in his hand, Jiraiya giggled mischievously to himself as he added the contents of the pouch to the sake.

In many of his travels, Jiraiya had come across quite a number of odd merchants & medicine men, but he never particularly paid heed to any but one of them. The merchant that caught his interests gave him a powder that had a bit of history to it. The powder, it was said, was passed down through generation after generation of a famous clan of shinobi with great matchmaking abilities. Supposedly, this powder was able to bring out the intended victim's innermost feelings to whoever they desire. Also, their personality would become more fierce & aggressive towards said person, enabling them to say & do things they would normally have repressed.

"Of course, I really don't need such items like this to get the girls to notice me," Jiraiya said to himself as he placed the sake back where it was, "but getting Tsunade to appreciate me more takes a much more subtle approach. With this here little magic powder, she'll be spilling all her pent up feeling about me in no time."

"Oh? Is that so? And do you know the flaw in that plan?"

Jiraiya froze at the sound of that voice. He turned to see Tsunade, her arms crossed, and an eye twitching in anger at him. "The flaw is that you assumed that I wouldn't catch on to your rather sad attempts at wooing me. You're the last person I'd thought would try to do something so silly like that. But then again, maybe your luck with women has finally run out."

"Luck nothing, she who somehow managed to hit the boob-jackpot! I'm just tired of all the games we've been playing with one another throughout the years. You've managed to give every other poor dope that isn't me a shot with you, and you have a habit of flirting with me. Why not try to find out how you really feel about me."

"Oh, so is that what this really about?" Tsunade raised a fist and said "If you are so hell bent on finding out how I truly feel, here's a hint!"

5 seconds later, Jiraiya would, for the third time, narrowly avoid death itself as a rather large hole had been added to the Hokage's office wall. Jiraiya took note of this and said "Maybe we should have this discussion another time!" as he exited the premises via the newly added hole.

"Oh no you don't, get back here you bastard!" Tsunade took off in pursuit of Jiraiya, the intent of rearranging his vital organs using her fists her goal. It took many things to offset Tsunade's mood. Drugging someone in an effort to find out just how they felt about them was at the top 5.

Precisely 5 minutes later, Hinata entered the now empty office of the Hokage, ready to submit her mission summary.

Team 8 had gone under rather unexpected changes ever since Yuhi Kurenai gave birth to her only child. The team had become integrated with Team Kakashi, meaning that Hinata actually got to see more & more of Naruto as time went by. Kurenai, who had known that Hinata harbored deep feelings for the young genin, had asked her about the time spent with him as Hinata paid a visit to her sensei a day before. As Kurenai put her child to bed, Hinata replied "Oh, it's, uh, going real well Kurenai-sensei. I mean, I do get to talk with Naruto a lot more than I usually get to. It's just that…".

"Oh, trouble in paradise already?" Kurenai playfully teased her young charge. "I know Naruto can be a handful, especially given his knack for being a bit of a simple minded prankster, but I'd never thought he'd wear you down so quickly."

"No, actually it's been real pleasant to talk with him. The problem is that I've yet to be alone with him." Hinata explained

"Really?"

"Yes, since we've been teamed up with Team 9, our mission workloads have been increased significantly, so we're usually been put into groups of 3 or more. If I am with him, it's usually in the company of Sakura, Shino or Sai."

"Oh yes, I've heard about this Sai. How is he?"

"A little too direct, Shino would say." Hinata answered. Kurenai sighed & picked up a cup of tea from the nearby table. Sipping briefly, she smiled as she assessed the situation. "In short, you would prefer if you could find a way to get Naruto alone & talk with him one on one. That could be tricky. You could always go to the ramen stand he eats at every day, use that as an excuse to strike up a conversation with him."

"Yes, I thought of that," Hinata said, "but that's a bit tricky. It seems that every time I go to the stand, at the last possible moment, someone seems to join us. It's like someone is sending these people to make sure we can't have any time together."

"I was going to say Hiashi, but I doubt even your father would go that far to interfere with your potential love life." Kurenai mused. "Maybe it's the God's way of testing your patience. Trust me, sooner or later, there will be a time when you & Naruto will have some alone time together. Just use that to start up a nice, small, casual conversation. From there on, everything will work itself out."

In the office of the Hokage, Hinata looked in awe at the rather large gaping hole that was left in the wall of the office. Surveying the damage quickly, she immediately came to the conclusion that whatever happened must have been the doing of Jiraiya. What it also meant was that it would be a while before Tsunade would return from her pursuit of the sanin. With nothing better to do until later, Hinata decided to wait for the 5th Hokage to return.

"Strange though," Hinata said aloud, "I'd have thought Shizune would be here to calm down the Hokage."

"Oh, Shizune won't be here for a while. She's off taking Ton-Ton to the vet."

Hinata nearly jumped out of her sandals at the sound of the voice directly behind her. She turned to find herself face to face with Naruto, who had just entered the room looking to file a report of his own that day. Hinata's face felt hot; she knew that a small blush was creeping it's way onto her face, but she couldn't help it. It was her usual response to being anywhere near Naruto. Fortunately, the young man never seemed to notice this about her, or the fact that she was absent mindedly twirling her fingers together, and even if he did, it seemed he never did make a deal about it.

"Na-naruto-kun! What re you doing here?" Hinata stammered out. Naruto sighed and said to her "Kakashi-sensei made me submit this stupid mission summary for him. The guy's gone & run off to the next town over to catch the premiere of some movie. Meaning, sadly, that I get stuck handing in the paperwork for a mission we just had."

"Oh, that's right. You, Shino & Sakura had been asked to escort a merchant back to his village. How did it go?"

"About as well as I expected, that is if you expect to be jumped by a gang of hired thugs 3 hours into the mission. Shino kind of figured we'd lull them into attacking first after he detected them, but I wanted to get them out of our hair ASAP."

"I'll guess that Shino believed otherwise."

"Darn tooting," Naruto shivered "that guy can be very persuasive when he needs to be."

_So far, so good, Hinata, _she thought to herself. Hinata was finally having a one on one conversation with Naruto, and she didn't feel as nervous as she usually did when she was around him. She was lucky she never actually fainted this time around. When Naruto had returned from his 2 years of training with Jiraiya, she couldn't muster up the courage to say hi, unlike her teammates Kiba & Shino. (Shino kind of lamented how that initial meeting had gone down, as Naruto failed to even recognize him. It should be noted, however, that Hinata explained to him that wearing a large hooded coat did little to aid Naruto's already shaky memory.)

"Then it turns out that the merchant was smuggling a pretty rare artifact to his village, a rare artifact that turned out housed some sort of ancient demon. Sakura had to literally have her hands pried off of the merchant's throat, and believe me, I didn't really want to do it, not after the words he used to describe how we handled the thing."

"Oh, wow, I never thought Sakura was the type to—"

"Violently lash out at anyone who insults her."

"No, I mean throttle anyone. Usually she just punches someone into a pulp."

Naruto smirked. Rarely has he ever heard Hinata make an effort at a joke. Today was a surprising change of pace. "Wow Hinata, never thought yu had it in you to make a joke like that!"

"Oh, uh, really? I never really tried much. I mean I'm not so good making puns and all. And my family tends to frown down upon such things"

"That's not so hard to believe. Konohamaru keeps on telling me how your sister gives him some sort of funny look every time he tells her one of his cornball jokes."

"Hanabi takes her studies very seriously. I'm sure his jokes are funny, but she's never been one for expressing herself too well." Hinata sighed.

"Are all Hyugas like that?" Naruto inquired.

"Well, we are one of the oldest families in Konohakure. I guess we have a certain reputation to uphold." Hinata sighed. She wasn't exactly comfortable talking about her family & it's legacy, as much of the family policy had left rifts between the main & branch families. The stern treatment she had received from her father was such an example. It wasn't until after the Chunin Exams and the invasion by Orochimaru's forces that Hiashi made efforts to mend his relationship with his eldest daughter.

"I'm just glad that you're getting along better with Neji now. But that guy's a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes. I remember we got back from Sunagakure one time & Guy decided we should go out to celebrate our success. TenTen literally had to drag him out onto the dance floor before he started enjoying himself."

"Really? I don't know if I could imagine him dancing."

"It's actually quite interesting when you see it in person." Naruto pointed out. "The guy's got moves that could put Bushy Brows to shame." It was then that Naruto noticed the small sake bottle on the table across from them. "Hey that reminds me…"

"What?"

"Well, it's kind of funny, but seeing that bottle there reminded me of something else that almost happened. There was a bottle like that in the restaurant we were in & I dared Neji to take a swig from it."

"He didn't?"

"Well, actually, before he could answer, Lee overheard us & took me up on the dare. Next thing I know, Guy, TenTen, Neji and Kakashi-sensei practically tackle Lee to the ground the second he touches the bottle."

"Oh, I see you didn't hear about what happens anytime Lee gets a hold of sake. Neji had said it was like fighting a yokai gone mad." Hinata explained.

"So I hear. Gaara told me about it too, said Lee fights way better when he's loaded." Naruto's mind, eventually, formulated a very sneaky little plot. "Say…you want to prove that the Hyugas aren't all stuck up and proper, right?"

"Hmm, I suppose."

"Alright. I dare you to do what Neji couldn't: Drink from granny's sake bottle!"

"The Hokage's sake bottle? You make that sound as though my life is in danger."

"Well technically, it could be. I mean I know that woman, she likes that stuff strong. It probably could knock out a boar."

Hinata gulped. On the one hand, she didn't exactly feel as though this was one of the sanest things she could do. On the other hand, she was getting along greatly with Naruto & a small dare like this could improve her chances significantly. "Well, I don't think one small sip could hurt."

"Sure, let's go with that. One sip, that's all I ask."

Hinata cleared her throat. Picking up the small clay bottle, she put it to her lips &, closing her eyes, tilted her head back & took a small amount into her mouth.

_Something is not right._

Naruto waited for several seconds. Not a response from Hinata yet. He couldn't tell if she was having any sort of adverse reaction to the sake; her back was to him after all. Maybe, he thought, this was a bad idea. What if she was drunk? How the hell would he explain that to Neji? _Yeah, that would be a real fun experience, Yo, Neji, I dared your cousin to try sake & got her drunk! He'd Gentle Fist my ass to Hell & back!_

Eventually, Hinata turned to face Naruto. But something was…off.

Naruto sometimes noticed certain things about people, although he never made it a habit of letting others know unless he felt so. Like when he noticed the scars on Rock Lee's fists during his brief encounter with Sasuke. And just now he noticed another odd thing: the face of Hinata was different; she wasn't blushing. And she was staring at him. Eye to eye. Usually if she talked to him, her stare had sort of shifted from time to time, as she was trying to avoid his gaze. Right now, however, her eyes were fixed on him. And her voice? Well, she sounded much, much different than usual. More confident, he could say.

"Naruto-kun," she purred "that was quite…how to put it…interesting."

"What? The sake?"

"I suppose. I don't really see why adults like the stuff myself. It makes my throat feel like it's been lit on fire! Actually I was talking about the dare."

"Ah, well…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I was just thinking, you know, perhaps you guys could sometimes, uh, lighten up?"

"Oh, I agree." Hinata nodded. "Sometimes I wish my father would smile every once in a while. It's like he's got a hornet's nest jammed right up his ass & can't bring himself to admit when he's being as stubborn as a mule."

"Wow." Naruto's jaw dropped. "I did not see that coming. You're not, um…"

"No, Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled as she slowly made her way to him. Naruto them noticed that Hinata was looking him up and down, as if she was sizing him up. "I'm quite sober, really. I just felt like a tremendous burden has been lifted from my chest. Specifically here." To illustrate her point, Hinata slowly pulled down the zipper of her jacket & pointed to her upper chest region. It was not too hard to figure out where she was pointing. Naruto tried not to notice but he couldn't help but see that Hinata's bust size had increased. A lot. Even more so than Sakura & Ino. (A fact the two would never get over.)

"Ok, maybe you're not drunk…or maybe I'm dreaming…ok, I think I'm lost here." Hinata was getting closer, and Naruto's heart was literally racing.

"I assure you, this is very much real." Hinata's face was now mere inches from his, and Naruto felt a bead of sweat race down his forehead. "Naruto-kun, you have given me much hope ever since I first laid eyes on you. I was always content to watch you from the shadows, watching you give everything you got no matter what. When I faced Neji during the exams, your words to me made me the happiest I ever felt. And it always pained me to never tell you what was in my heart. But, sadly, you're not exactly the type to really understand words…"

"Hinata, I--"

"Shh, just shut up & enjoy!"

And with that, Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, and in a single moment, released half a decades worth of unrequited love into an extremely passionate kiss. Naruto's senses went from 'OMG' to 'OMFG' as for an undetermined amount of time, Hinata kissed him with vigor and a fervor only Jiraiya could rival. Her tongue was practically dominating his, as he had experienced what he would call the greatest French kiss of his life. After a decent amount of time, the kiss was broken off and Naruto gazed into Hinata's face, a dumbfounded look plastered on him. Hinata smiled devilishly, as she said 'Naruto-kun, I don't think there is a more obvious way of saying 'I love you' than that."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm that thick headed."

"Yes, but I don't think you see just how much I _really _love you. I think I need to show you in a more, shall we say, defining act."

"How much more clearer do you have to be?" Hinata smiled seductively. Unknown to Naruto, her hands were making signs behind his back. With little warning, she activated her Byakugan and before Naruto could say a word, he felt his legs give out underneath him. Hinata grabbed the falling genin in her arms and said "I pressed a point in your chakra network to limit your movement, but I don't think even you could have not figured that out. You won't be able to move for awhile, which is more than enough time for me to take you home and properly express my love of you. And no, not all of your body is completely paralyzed. I can say that with certainty."

_I don't know if I should be scared or excited._

Hyuga Neji had seen many odd things in his life. But not quite as surprising as what he saw as he walked with his teammate Rock Lee to their destination. "This is quite a rare site," Neji remarked as he looked upwards.

"What is it? Did you miss another bird?"

"No, and for the last time, I don't have my Byakugan on all the time. I just saw something that doesn't quite register. Naruto & Hinata just passed by overhead."

"Oh, well they have had their respective teams merged now that Kurenai sensei is busy with her child. It wouldn't seem out of place if they were together."

"True," Neji agreed. "But the situation does not make sense. For starters, Hinata was carrying Naruto."

"That is unusual. Maybe he is hurt."

"If that is the case, then the hospital is that way. They were heading in the opposite direction…"

"…Towards his apartment." Lee finished. "Neji, do you suppose…"

"Lee, I do not want to invade my cousin's private affairs. However this situation is rather, shall we say, odd. I think we need to pay a visit to Naruto's apartment building."

A few minutes later, Rock Lee & Neji found themselves standing a few feet from the doorsteps of Naruto's small apartment. "I never thought I'd be doing something like this, especially involving Naruto." Lee commented.

"Indeed. Somehow, when he is involved, we find ourselves doing things not of the ordinary." Neji sighed. It was one of those days where he wished he could do the exact opposite of what his brain was telling him, but his concern for the Hyuga heir was telling him otherwise.

"We can't just knock the door down. Who knows how Naruto & Hinata would react." Lee said to Neji.

"Agreed. However, we can't just knock on the door either. That would raise all sorts of questions. So, I think I know what needs to be done." Sighing, Neji closed his eyes & concentrated. Activating his Byukugan, he opened his eyes, focused on the apartment…and promptly developed a massive nosebleed.

"Uh…Neji…"

Quickly deactivating his gekkai, Neji turned to Lee and said, in no uncertain terms, "We are leaving. Right now."

"Neji, you look as if you saw a ghost."

"Gods I wish. Sometimes these eyes are a curse. Point is, we're leaving, and we need to never mention this to anyone."

"Even TenTen & Gai-sensei?"

"Even TenTen & ESPECIALLY Gai."

"Mention what?"

Neji turned, praying it wasn't who it was. Sadly, it was: Haruno Sakura was in the hallway, on her way to visit Naruto.

"Oh, Sakura, what a pleasant surprise!" Lee nervously smiled. "So, what brings you here?"

"I came to see if that knucklehead submitted the mission report like he was supposed to give to the Hokage. He didn't turn up at Ichiraku, so I figured he must be here."

"You're right, he is here, with Hinata as a matter of fact." Neji explained. "However, I think we need to get out of here ASAP."

"Wait, he's with Hinata?" Sakura asked. "He's not doing anything perverted to her, is he. If he is, I swear—"

"Uh, funny thing."

"Actually, it's the complete opposite." Neji blurted out.

Sakura arched an eyebrow. "Please, tell me you're joking."

"Hyugas don't joke."

So, now we are back where we began, more or less. The couple laid on the bed together, unsure of what to do next. Eventually, the tension had gotten to Hinata & it was decided she needed to say something…anything. "Uh…Naruto-kun…"

"You're awake too?"

"Yes, I've been awake. For quite some time actually."

"Yeah, well, I was kind of, uh, worried. I mean…" Naruto gulped "I'm at a lost of words now, and that's something I'm not used to."

"Yes, I noticed." Hinata smiled up at him.

"I never figured that you—I mea that thing you did--and then the--why the heck do you even know how to do stuff like that?"

"I was caught up in the moment, Naruto-kun. The shy ones tend to be very creative." Hinata smirked. "And to be quite honest, I wasn't completely myself when I did what I did. Then again, I don't think it matters at this point."

"Actually, it does matter." Naruto sat up & turned to face Hinata. "I was so stupid, now that I think about it. I never knew how you felt about me, but everyone else seemed to pick up on it faster than I could. I kind of feel like I've been giving you the cold shoulder for so long. Maybe that dare was the push we needed."

"Naruto-kun, don't be so hard on yourself." Hinata answered. "Yes, you were more than oblivious, but in retrospect, I guess I could have been more assertive in my feelings. I mean, you gave me so much inspiration to improve myself, the east I could do was give myself a push."

"Push? You practically hurled yourself at me. If I couldn't pick up on that, you should have kicked my ass!" Hinata giggled at the comment that he made, and sat up to give Naruto a small kiss on the cheek. "So…" Naruto sighed," what now?"

"I'm rather hungry. Why don't you treat your new girlfriend to some ramen?"

"Yeah, why not? I think you may have worked up an appetite."

"Quite."

It was then that at moment, a knock came on the door.

"Oh crap, perfect timing." Naruto sighed. "Who could this possibly be?"

The voices behind the door were unmistakable and, oddly enough, rather calm.

"Open up, Naruto. It's me, Tsunade."

"We wish to have a word with you."

"Father?"

A few hours later, Naruto found himself in a rather odd situation: Sitting next to him was Hinata. Sitting across from him at the table was Hiashi, her father. Tsunade has explained the situation to all involved to the best of her abilities (and also made special note what she intended to do to Jiraiya), but it was on Hiashi's request that the couple would have a quiet talk with him. Naruto, for the most part, quietly prayed the father would not kill him outright.

"Naruto, Hinata…this is a, uh, rather unusual situation."

"I swear I didn't put her up to it!"

"Yes, Naruto-san, I know. The Hokage's explanation made that abundantly clear. In fact, I suspected the powder used may have been at the root of this the moment I ran into Neji."

"Wait, Neji was…did he…" Hinata blushed furiously as Hiashi nodded. "The boy had been talking with Lee & a friend of yours, Naruto-san, when I came to look for him. Sadly, I think using his Byakugan at that moment has unnerved him. Try not to think too harshly of him. After his tale, I thought about what the Hokage had told me when I visited her office, put two and two together & figured out what has transpired." Hiashi folded his arms & sighed. "Fortunately, your friends respect you privacy enough not to tell anyone else of the events of today. Especially to Gai-sensei."

Naruto & Hinata both nodded their head in agreement. No one could expect Gai to keep shut about something like that for very long.

"But you two…" Hiashi looked at his daughter & said "Hinata, I know I haven't been the best father to you, but I've always wanted what was best for you. I know how much you love Naruto, so I always hoped that you would find the best way of expressing your love to him."

That's what he said on the outside. In the inside, his Inner Dad was saying _I know you love him, but you didn't have to paralyze him & screw his brains out to prove it!_

"Father, does this mean that you are ok with us being together?"

"It would be crazy for me to even try to forbid this, so if you two plan on going out with one another, there are some ground rules we need to cover." At this point, Hiashi reaches into his robe & pulls out a rather large scroll.

"Wow." Naruto said "What the heck is that?"

"Ground rules for dating my daughter, Naruto-san." Hiashi explained. "Actually, Hinata's mother came up with this. Believe me, I don't like this any more than you."

_This is gonna take some getting used to, _Naruto thought.


End file.
